The Progression and Evolution of International Law Scholarship over the Past 50 Years: Some Quantitative Observations

21 Pages Posted: 28 Apr 2015 Last revised: 7 Aug 2016

See all articles by Donald J. Kochan

Donald J. Kochan

Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University

Date Written: April 27, 2015

Abstract

Debates have intensified in recent years about the utility of legal scholarship generally, and international law scholarship has not been immune from some specific, targeted scrutiny. Yet few fields of legal scholarship have a history like international law scholarship, where the courts and other authorities have identified scholars of international law as holding a special place of privilege and stature in the interpretation of international law. This essay examines the unique role of international law scholarship in the interpretation of international law by courts and other authorities. Furthermore, through various data compilations and the depictions of trends in more than a dozen unique and original graphs, it examines the growth and evolution of international law and human rights scholarship over time, including changing trends in jurisprudential categories of scholarship between “the law of nations,” “international law,” and “human rights.” While this data tells a story on its own, the essay also hopes to provide information from which others can enhance their own assessment of trends not just in international law scholarship, but also in the evolution of international law itself.

Keywords: international law, human rights, law of nations, legal scholarship, jurisprudence, law reviews, law journals, empirical data

Suggested Citation

Kochan, Donald J., The Progression and Evolution of International Law Scholarship over the Past 50 Years: Some Quantitative Observations (April 27, 2015). Buffalo Human Rights Law Review, Vol. 22, Page 1 (2016), Chapman University, Fowler Law Research Paper No. 15-19, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2599731

Donald J. Kochan (Contact Author)

Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University ( email )

3301 Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22201
United States

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